Yes, I mean 8 or 9 MILES… in one run. And you have to survive (but you don’t have to like it)
There is a trail by my house that is perfectly flat and great for running. However, I don’t think I would ever run it alone, the only girl I have seen on the trail alone had on neon pink and orange ‘80’s running gear completed with a whistle around her neck. Since I am all out of whistles I try to opt out of solo running. This trail holds many memories for my sister and I, like running a 12 mile run when we were only supposed to do 8 (someone forgot their keys so we had to double back) and the desperate search along the trail for nature’s toilet paper because I realized that day I was lactose intolerant. By the way, if you find used duct tape along a secluded nature trail, it will make you run faster!
But we love the trail, and continue to utilize its flatness. This particular day my sister was the driving force, she had a half coming up (that I was opting out of for various reasons) and she needed to get in her long runs prior so she was ready. So we headed out that morning ready to go- well one of us was. I quickly realized that I was not near as prepared and this 8 mile run was going to be much harder than I thought. We run in intervals, 7 minutes running and then 2 walking; or if you were me that day; 2 minutes running and 7 minutes walking. Very quickly my sister left me in the dust and I got to watch her behind for most of our long run “together.”
This trail is marked with mile markers and we decided it would be fun to have a picture by our distance. Mine was originally done as a joke, however in hindsight it is pretttttty accurate.
Somehow in my slowness my sister was able to not only stay on her intervals, but accomplish an entire extra mile- which meant we had to stop and retake her “8 Mile” picture.
During this adventure I couldn’t help but run the song “8 Mile” by Eminem in my head. It has NOTHING to do with our adventure, so I made up my own lyrics- I don’t really know much about rapping but when you don’t “think” anyone is looking you can be pretty much any rock star that you want to be, right? Well that day during my tortuous run I was a rapping rockstar rewriting the song “8 Mile”- and let me say it was a hit. (I could hear the cheering fans!)
A corner was up ahead in the trail and with my headphones on I am pretty sure that I was singing in my loud voice (and those that know how loud my quiet voice is, should be able to imagine the loud one). Throwing up my hands and dancing a jig, low and behold there is a couple that rounds the corner, and how do you play that off? My answer? You don’t, you simply nod and smile and quit dancing just in case they are picking and they think you are truly some sort of gang member throwing up signs. However, I was VERY Surprised that they didn’t want my autograph! Very soon after that came my sister on her way back, and I felt no need to distract her from her intervals- she knows I am a rock star so why re-live the moment? (And would she honestly be surprised??)
Although my hands were swollen, my legs were shaky and my pride was confused (what?? I am not a rap star??) I still put in 8 miles that day. It was a great way to start the day. And I was uber proud of my sister. AND I bet she was dancing too and didn’t want to tell me… So that’s why she ran ahead! It all makes sense now!
Don’t worry, that evening I had 3 glasses of wine, tons of calories in Mexican food and continued to laugh about the couple that is out that got to witness the weird lady rapping and dancing a jig…. I bet I run into them later in life- hopefully by then I will be three sizes down and able to brush this instance off as someone else…. As a friend of mine says “Eh… Who cares… I am coo’ with me!”
Sing loud and proud and run often!
~K
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